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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23684518">And When He Held My Hand...</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RarePairGremlin/pseuds/RarePairGremlin'>RarePairGremlin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>365 Rarities and Drabbles [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Wizards, Blushing, Caves, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Rain, Self-Indulgent, Thunder and Lightning, hand holding</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 09:29:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,242</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23684518</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RarePairGremlin/pseuds/RarePairGremlin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Cave</p><p>Yamaguchi was absolutely miserable, cold and dripping wet. What combination could possibly be worse? </p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hinata Shouyou/Tsukishima Kei, Kinoshita Hisashi/Yamaguchi Tadashi, implied</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>365 Rarities and Drabbles [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1508063</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>And When He Held My Hand...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>HUGE thank you to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/jadehqknb/pseuds/jadehqknb"> Jade </a> for betaing this fic for me! I appreciate it so much, babe. Please go check out her works, they're adorable and fluffy and so amazing. 💚 💙 💜</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/RarePairGremlin"> Twitter </a> | <a href="https://discord.gg/CsX643w"> My Discord Group, 18+, come chat! </a> | <a href="https://www.pillowfort.social/RPG"> Pillowfort </a> | <a href="https://rarepairgremlin.tumblr.com"> Tumblr </a></p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yamaguchi was absolutely miserable, cold and dripping wet. What combination could possibly be worse? </p><p> </p><p>He supposed they could be dead, that would be worse. But they weren’t dead. They were very much alive and stuck inside a bloody cave with darkness falling. Did he mention it was storming too? </p><p> </p><p>Storms always made him nervous and the cave he and Kinoshita entered to escape the sudden downpour wasn’t helping. It amplified each blinding flash and sharp boom making him flinch, the rocky surface of the wall digging into his back, painful despite the thickness of his layered knitted vest and sleeved top. </p><p> </p><p>If he was inside and out of danger he wouldn’t have been as nervous, but like there they were technically vulnerable, completely exposed to whatever nature and fate chose to throw at them. It set his nerves on edge, his body going coldly numb with each clap and crack. </p><p> </p><p>Beside him his upperclassman, Kinoshita Hisashi, sat so calmly, so collected and unaffected by the situation it made him feel ridiculous, made him feel silly and dumb to the point that his hands shook and his brain raced making him jittery as if he’d downed three cups of coffee in a short time span. Which he’d done before and would never do again. </p><p> </p><p>One of their knees were pulled up to their chest, arms looped around it loosely, and the other lay against the cave floor, foot wiggling this way and that as they hummed a tune he didn’t recognize. Their head was leaning against their knee, face away from him towards the entrance. They were so unbothered by the sudden, raging display of weather and he was… a mess to say the least. </p><p> </p><p>He’d forgotten his cloak, so he was cold, not yet freezing but it would set in soon enough he was sure, and the dampness hanging in the air was making him shiver and sweat. On top of that, his stupid, stupid brain betrayed him by allowing his anxieties to rear their ugly head and race through invading thoughts a mile a minute, telling himself over and over and over about just how screwed they were. </p><p> </p><p>The class was scattered, each one working through a partnered exercise, the school gods only knew how far away and they were currently stranded inside a cave they <em>hoped</em> didn’t belong to an animal. God, he hated this fucking class so much, why did he have to choose this class when there were so many other choices that were clearly more suited to him and his personality? He’d fight if needed, sure, but it wasn’t something he particularly enjoyed so why, <em>why</em> had he thought ‘gee, this class looks perfect for me!’? </p><p> </p><p>Dumb. He was dumb, that’s why. </p><p> </p><p>Ukai Sr’s survival class had quickly become a worse hell than he’d expected. He’d been warned by students who participated in the class and graduated as well as those who dropped out when he’d signed up for it. They’d openly shared horror stories and had blatantly told him that he may not last and he was actually beginning to believe them. For weeks he’d been convincing himself he could do this, that it wasn’t a big deal and that, yes, Ukai Sr was strict and blunt and willingly ran his students into the ground as a way of teaching them, but it wasn’t that bad and he could do it. </p><p> </p><p>He’d signed up with the intent to grow stronger, after all, to push himself and to prove that he could do more than people expected him to be able to do, to simply prove everyone and himself wrong. Now he just wished he’d joined Yachi in the potion infusions class. They were baking infused sweets this week. Their class project was to take their favorite dessert and one of the potions given and combine them into a recipe that didn’t give the potion choice away. </p><p> </p><p>What was more fun than magical sweets that brought you luck or made you happy!? </p><p> </p><p>Exactly, nothing, and he could have been making them right. But no, he’d just had to choose a survival course over everything else. He could be making cupcakes that were smothered in glitter, drowning in sprinkles, with a secret potion infusion that made you feel free and energized. With teal frosting, teal fucking frosting! Maybe even a caramel center if he was feeling particularly adventurous. </p><p> </p><p>But nope, nuh-uh! His brain was all ‘but going into the wilderness surrounding the school, into the areas that are technically forbidden without the escort of a professor or guide, sounds like so much more fun!’ </p><p> </p><p>Idiot. He was a fucking idiot of massively unexplainable proportions.</p><p> </p><p>That morning, he and his classmates had gathered in the courtyard of the school just outside the main entrance. All of them yawning and groaning at the god-awful hour, the sun barely making an appearance over the mountains. </p><p> </p><p>Ukai Sr. had stood with their hands on their hips, staring each and every student down with a sparkle in their eyes and a terrifyingly excited grin spread wide across their lips. Every student looked on in a mix of worry or boredom. He hadn’t been sure how to feel as he glanced around at his classmates, but he did know that whatever was about to happen wasn’t going to be good. </p><p> </p><p>He’d felt a short-lived glimmer of confidence that whatever it was he could handle it as he met Kinoshita’s eyes. They’d smirked sleepily at him and shrugged before turning and waiting for Ukai Sr to get on with whatever torture he had planned for the day. The small sign of encouragement from the one classmate that didn’t seem to think he couldn’t make it through the class had helped him convince himself he was gonna be fine. </p><p> </p><p>Oh, what a fool he’d been. </p><p> </p><p>They’d all been paired up before any explanation had been given, sorted into groups of twos or threes at random. He’d been silently thanking the protectors that he’d been partnered with Kinoshita as Ukai Sr had begun carving out a portal in the air, the spell for randomizing location drop offs cast into the edges using complicated and delicate sigils. Everyone watched as the portal swirled and came to life with genuine interest and pure awe as a brief overview of the assignment had been given. The assignment sounded simple enough; step into the portal, land in the randomized area and find their way back to campus without the use of magic unless absolutely needed. Simple. Easy. Too easy now that he looked back on it. Ukai Sr had probably known rain was in the forecast or they had used forbidden casting to alter the weather themselves.</p><p> </p><p>Takeda-sensei had then gone from student to student and enchanted their wands with a tracking spell to measure the magical output, completing the task only seconds before each group was captured in a shield bubble and thrown into the portal without warning. </p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi barely had time to gasp, his mind still going over the instructions they’d been given when he found himself stumbling over his feet, nearly faceplanting into a tree if Kinoshita hadn’t caught him. </p><p> </p><p>They’d been dropped into a densely packed part of the forest behind the school that he didn’t recognize, something that both worried yet captivated him. He was worried because all they had were their wands and wits to protect them, which was the whole point of the class, and captivated because he’d always loved nature and exploring, though he’d much prefer his exploring to be in safer areas than this. </p><p> </p><p>And in areas of his own choosing. </p><p> </p><p>A sudden, sharp snap had him flinching so hard he accidentally elbowed Kinoshita, disturbing their calming hums and drawing their attention toward him with a tilt of their head and quirk of a brow in questioning. </p><p> </p><p>He stuttered out an apology, arms hugging his waist tighter as he inched away to prevent bumping into them again. He cursed himself out mentally as they shrugged and went back to humming, head lolling back down on their knees away from him, their other leg lifting to tuck both knees between their arms. Sighing he bumped his head against the rock behind him, his eyes closing as he tried to still his racing heart and quiet his mind.</p><p> </p><p>A low growling had his eyes snapping back open and body jolting forward, his body going cold to the core and his ears strained as his mind raced, instantly conjuring up horrific images and scenarios of various creatures and beings coming for them. </p><p> </p><p><em>Oh god, what if it’s an Owlbear!? I’m not strong with warding spells even with the incantation right in front of me! I could always try an illusion spell, disguise us into our surroundings, but I’m even worse at those… A quick blast of something that could make it dizzy or disoriented? No… That’s defensive magic and that’s literally my weakest subject. How the hell am I going to live if one attacks and I can’t even confuse it enough to run!? Maybe Kinoshita?... </em> </p><p> </p><p>He eyed the boy sitting next to him, listened to them switch tunes and continue humming, swaying back and forth as they watched the rainfall. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>No. Their skills, though slightly above average, were more on the defensive scale. They could protect and confuse well enough but that wouldn’t help if they needed to attack and-Wait don’t they hold the highest grades in cloaking specialties? Including teleportation and wardings? It’s still not great for the offensive but it’s a hell of a lot better than what he could do...</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Are you okay?” </p><p> </p><p>His eyes blinked into focus and he realized he was staring at them through his bangs. It took him another moment to clue into the fact that he was noticeably shaking, small but hard tremors wracking through him in chilling waves of fear and anxiety. </p><p> </p><p>“You… you didn’t hear that?” he asked, eyes darting around and landing near the dark shadows blocking the back of the cave. </p><p> </p><p>Just how far back did it go?</p><p> </p><p>Kinoshita watched him with concern etched across their usually relaxed or deadpanned face. Their head was still laying against their knees but their arms were now wrapped around their knees tightly, no longer lazily circling them. </p><p> </p><p>“Hear what? I didn’t hear anything,” they said, also looking around. </p><p> </p><p>When their eyes landed on him again, their expression left him flushing and he glanced away, clearing his throat and barely offering them a nod, his head lifting and falling only once in a blatant lie. His unwillingness to admit his fears aloud, especially to someone who appeared so unfazed by everything that was happening, made him feel guiltier for the lie. They hummed, the sound gently accusing and he felt the blush grow deeper, spreading down his neck and chest. </p><p> </p><p>Instead of coming out and admitting anything though, he shrugged. A few stray water droplets fell from the ends of his hair and he sniffed, completely having forgotten, for a moment at least, that he was still wet from the rain and that the cold wasn’t just from being scared. He felt their eyes boring holes into the side of his head and after a few, long and awkward minutes he sighed, leaning his head against the wall as he blurted out the first excuse he could think of. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m just a little cold,” he whispered, his hands rubbing along the long-sleeved shirt of his uniform as if to prove that was all that was bothering him. It wasn’t completely false, he was actually cold, it just wasn’t the main issue he was having. But they didn’t need to know that he wasn’t feeling particularly brave today. He wished he’d at least remembered to bring his cloak that morning, at least then he’d be shivering less and could be hiding his shaking better. The vest helped keep some of the heat in but it wasn’t enough in such damp weather. </p><p> </p><p>They hummed again, low and long this time as they stood, pushing away from the wall with a soft huff. He watched in confusion as they stretched, their shirt riding up to show a strip of their stomach. They leaned and moved, cracking their back neck and fingers, sighing through a yawn before they peeled off their cloak. They weren’t wearing a vest—which was against the rules, but that choice had nothing to do with him so why should he care—revealing the damp, black shirt clinging to their skin. It revealed the dips and curves of their not muscular but fit body, the result of their laps taken around the track every morning before classes. But they had a softness to them he hadn't noticed before...</p><p> </p><p>He averted his gaze, feeling flustered, and forced his knees up to his chest, another blazing blush heating the skin of his face. Right as he was wrapping his arms around his legs something warm and heavy was plopped onto his head. Yelping, his whole body jolted up against the cave wall as he stared into the black void that was now consuming him when the subtle but distinctive scent of vanilla and spice filled his nose. </p><p> </p><p>He heard a chuckle and stiffened as the warm void was lifted away, disappearing to reveal Kinoshita’s amused face as they held their cloak up and away from him so he could see again. Pouting he reached out and took it, hugging it against his chest in a bundle as they sat back down, continuing to laugh at him as he stared down at the cloak in confusion. </p><p> </p><p>Turning it over in his hands he thumbed over the dormhouse emblem, feeling the tight stitching against the calloused pad as his eyes studied the image. </p><p> </p><p>It was of a crow, perched on a Fireleaf Maple; a tree that commonly grew around the inner edges of campus, the leaves flickering like soft fire in the sunlight and appearing to be burning under the moonlight. The bark was a scorched black shade that smelled like soot, the flakes of it like ash. The black and orange were a striking and beautiful contrast that made the calming silhouette of the crow appear intense, even ominous if he stared at it long enough. </p><p> </p><p>Kinoshita was in the Karasuno house, while he was in Seijoh. </p><p> </p><p>His own cloak sported the emblem of his house, a Crowned Rose which was a rare flower illegal to pick or use in potions without permission from the highest counsel. The petals were a bright, vibrant green that glowed in the night. Instead of having thorns along the stems like most rose species, it had tiny ones that grew along the seam of the petals and were hard to see. The prick of the thorns burned from the low levels of venom they held so though even if they were not seen, they were definitely felt.  </p><p> </p><p>Glancing over at them through his hair he stiffened, face bursting into a deeper, almost feverish blush when he found them watching him with an odd, indiscernible expression on their face. Pushing away from the rocky wall he practically yanked the cloak on, pulling it over himself as his eyes stared down at his shoes. He breathlessly muttered out a ‘thanks’ when he managed to pull it on properly, face bright and heated through it all.</p><p> </p><p>Kinoshita grinned and watched the whole display, the odd expression remaining on their face until he stopped struggling with the cloak. </p><p> </p><p>“Don’t worry about it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Won’t… Won’t you be cold?” he questioned softly, shifting awkwardly against the wall and stone floor, hugging his knees to his chest again and leaning his chin on them. Their body heat seeped from the cloak onto him and he could smell the vanilla and spice scent again only stronger. It was comforting and he could already feel himself warming up at an oddly swift rate but he assumed it was just his mind playing tricks on him or reading too much into it. </p><p> </p><p>At least until they admitted that wasn’t the case.</p><p> </p><p>“Nope. I uh… <em>I charm my clothes.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>Tilting his head Yamaguchi swept his hair from his face, eyes going wide in shock before they slowly narrowed, his expression melting from surprise to ‘are you serious?’. The intensity of his gaze caused them to glance away, avoiding all eye contact with him as his brows knitted together. </p><p> </p><p>A deep flush built up over their skin, creeping across their cheeks and nose then down their neck as it disappeared into their shirt. After a few moments, they eyed his from the corner of their eyes and shrugged, cleared their throat, and let out an embarrassed chuckle before staring down to the floor. </p><p> </p><p>“I know, it’s against the rules okay. But, ya gotta admit it’s worth the risk.” They flicked their eyes to him and away again, a sheepish look crossing their face as they shrugged again and scratched the side of their nose. “Constantly comfy and toasty clothes? Yes please.”</p><p> </p><p>Dammit, they had him there. The heat the enchanted cloak gave him was too comforting to argue over. It was definitely more comfy than his own despite them being made of the exact same material. </p><p> </p><p>Still, it surprised him to learn that they were so… casual and flippant over the rules and regulations. Sure, he’d broken a rule or two before, more than likely would again, but nothing that would land him in detention or get suspended! Uniform violations were highly frowned upon, but charms!? The use of charms outside of class and purely educational purposes was restricted without a special permit. Even if they were the harmless ones, like auto-heating your clothes.</p><p> </p><p>A silence passed between them, tense but also somehow relaxing, a sense of trust washing through him at the knowledge that they’d shared a secret like that with him. He was finally warm too, and he could feel himself growing sleepy. His eyelids grew heavy and he was barely stifling yawns. It had to be late afternoon by now and he was unsure how much of his other classes he’d missed by then. He wondered if anyone had made it back to the school yet or if they’d sought shelter like they had and were also waiting out the storm. </p><p> </p><p>“So, how long do you think it’ll be till the rain stops?” he mumbled through a yawn that he tried, and failed, to hide.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s coming down pretty hard, might be a while.” They glanced through the mouth of the cave, stared at the rain for a moment, then rolled their head against the rocks to grin at him. “Or it’ll be over in a few minutes. Hard to tell really.” They sent him a teasing wink and he snorted.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, that was a stupid question, sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t be, it wasn’t,” they said but they were still smirking. </p><p> </p><p>“Pfff, Okay…” His eyes drooped and he felt the lingering heaviness weigh on him more, his body slipping into a slight slouch. He didn’t realize he was slowly leaning into their side, bracing his weight against them until another growl echoed through the air causing him to flinch awake and away from them. </p><p> </p><p>Glancing around he stuttered out, “You… you had to hear that this time!”</p><p> </p><p>They coughed into their hand and looked in the opposite direction of him. His heart jumped into his throat and he squeaked in momentary fear, unsure why they were staring outside toward the rain hoping it wasn’t due to something coming towards them. He was ready to pull his wand from its holster on his thigh, not sure what he was going to do but prepared to use it until he felt and saw them shaking. A sound close to a barely suppressed laugh leaving them. </p><p> </p><p>“What?” he snapped, still on edge. </p><p> </p><p>“It’s uh… <em>it’s my stomach</em>.” They burst into laughter, their hand leaving their mouth to cover their eyes as they fell into a fit of oddly adorable chuckles and snorts. </p><p> </p><p>Yamaguchi felt his own shoulders begin to shake as the fear died away. It was replaced with a soft bubbling in his stomach that flowed to his chest and out his mouth. He began giggling, high and small until they glanced between their fingers at him. His giggles turned to laughter and they both broke into loud guffaws within seconds of making eye contact. Tears pricked their eyes and they leaned against each other as they released all the tension that had been looming around the cave since they’d run to it for cover. </p><p> </p><p>“Pff-ahahah!” He wiped at his eyes, smearing the tears across his cheeks as he grinned at them. “Oh my god, that’s hilarious. You got a monster living in there demanding food?” He poked their side making them jump and yelp before smacking his hand away.</p><p> </p><p>“Laugh it up chuckles,” they huffed, poking his side back and practically pouting when he didn’t react the same as they had. He snickered, knowing full well they’d just exposed themself as being ticklish. Their stomach chose that moment to grumble again and he sputtered before breaking into another fit, his arms wrapping around himself as his stomach began to ache.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my god, I’m sorry just,” he snorted, “oh my god.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ha, ha, my starvation is so hilarious,” they teased, gently shoving him till he had to brace his hand out to avoid toppling over. He could tell they weren’t truly upset though since they shook their head at him as they grinned. He liked their grin, lazy, kinda lopsided but sort of inviting. It was a kind of grin that was friendly and put him at ease. </p><p> </p><p>His humor slowly faded until it was replaced by the sound of the rain again. He straightened and leaned into them again. They didn’t move away so he figured it was okay so he closed his eyes and began to doze once more. Sliding down the wall he brought his knees up and hugged them until his hands began to feel chilled and stiff. Yawning he brought them to his mouth and exhaled against them, using the heat of his breath to try to warm them. </p><p> </p><p>“Still cold?”</p><p> </p><p>“Just… Just my hands,” he sighed, rubbing them together but the friction and his breath wasn’t enough to drive away the redness.</p><p> </p><p>“Here.”</p><p> </p><p>He glanced at them questioningly, half expecting them to conjure a pair of gloves or something. Instead, they rubbed their hands together for a minute then took his hands between theirs, sandwiching their hands against his. </p><p> </p><p>“Hu-oh! Um, o-okay!” he rambled as his face began heating again. </p><p> </p><p>“Don’t be so nervous,” they huffed, staring down at their hands instead of up at him. Kinoshita played it off as no big deal but Yamaguchi could see the pink tinge on their ears and across their nose despite the dull lighting. </p><p> </p><p>“S-sorry!” he stuttered, not really sure why he was apologizing or why he felt so flustered. He shouldn’t be making this into something, it wasn’t anything except someone helping him warm up. It was platonic in a sense and nothing more. “Sorry…” he whispered, choosing to also stare down at their hands instead of staring. </p><p> </p><p>“Don’t worry about it.” They cleared their throat and shifted around, their hands tightening around his for a moment before relaxing again. </p><p> </p><p>“Okay…”</p><p> </p><p>His throat felt tighten and his heart pounded heavily in his chest. He could already feel his cheeks heating up in time with his hands as they soaked up as much heat as they could from Kinoshita. </p><p> </p><p>He heard them mumble and dared to glance up in time to see a soft glow throbbing around where they touched, his hands going momentarily cold for a flash of a second. He gasped softly as they let go, the pulsing glow brightening then dissipating into a puff of shimmering dust, falling away from him and disappearing before touching the cave floor. </p><p> </p><p>His eyes rose back to theirs and he pulled his hands tight to his chest, clearing his throat and tucking a few stray strands of hair behind his ear. </p><p> </p><p>“Uhm, uh, th-thanks.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t worry about it,” they repeated with a chuckle, watching him for a moment before turning and settling next to him again. He nibbled at his bottom lip as they slid tighter against his side and he dared to lean his weight against them. They didn’t move so neither did he, drawing his knees up and getting comfortable or as comfortable as he could sitting on a cold, hard, stone floor. </p><p> </p><p>Outside, the rain continued to rage but it seemed, for now, the thunder and lightning was gone. His eyes fell shut and his head dipped down, falling against their shoulder as he listened to the sounds of dripping water, howling wind and the occasional growl of Kinoshita’s vocal stomach. Each noise of their gut made him grin and chuckle. He felt them shake lightly and he knew they were laughing at him but he couldn’t help it, it was just too amusing to not laugh. </p><p> </p><p>He was nearly asleep, his body feeling heavy and lips parting as soft, slow breaths fell from his mouth when they turned to whispered against his hair-</p><p> </p><p>“Your freckles almost disappear when you blush.”</p><p> </p><p>Stiffening his face lit up like a Christmas light and a sputtering noise left his lungs as he choked on words. His hands came up to cover his face and he could feel the vibrations of their muffled laughter where their sides touched. </p><p> </p><p>“What? Why would you… Why does that... O-okay? What?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s cute.” They shrugged and he squeezed his eyes shut, groaning in embarrassment. </p><p> </p><p>“It’s really not,” he argued, adding in a growly tone that they shouldn’t say such random nonsense. </p><p> </p><p>“Whatever you say chuckles,” they snorted before going quiet again. He sat, leaning against them and cursing his face for being so reactive to things. It wasn’t his fault he’d been cursed with freckles and an overactive blush. Still… it was nice to hear it described as cute for once… </p><p> </p><p>Only his grandma had ever called it cute. His grandpa called it ‘unfortunate’ and his mom, well, she had the freckles but not the blush so she just didn’t get it. </p><p> </p><p>Eventually, he relaxed again, though it took a while. His butt was going numb and it was growing colder as the minutes passed. He didn’t know what time it was but he knew he was close to passing out. The far too early morning mixed with the stress this class always caused and then the running through unfamiliar woods for shelter was catching up with him and he wouldn’t be able to ward it off much longer. His head was already swaying, falling forward off their shoulder and jerking back up. </p><p> </p><p>Kinoshita slipped down the wall into a slumped position and pulled him closer, their arm wrapping around his shoulder as he turned his face into their neck. If he had been more awake, more aware, he would have been mortified at how intimate it was but his sleep muddled mind was thankful for the sturdy comfort being provided.</p><p> </p><p>“Sleep. I’ll keep watch,” a voice whispered gently and he nodded once, barely managing a soft ‘kay’ through a yawn. The world and all its noise faded into nothing as he fell into a deep sleep, being awoken sometime later by a finger tapping against the tip of his nose.</p><p> </p><p>“Mmm, no,” he muttered, his voice thick with sleep. When his cheek was poked next he swatted at the finger but ended up slapping himself instead. Grunting, he pouted, his brows knitting together giving him the appearance of a sleepy toddler angry at being woken. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey, the rain’s stopped, c’mon,” an amused voice broke through the veil of dreamland and he barely fought off a whine, wanting just a few more minutes of the blissful void he’d been in. “Hey, chuckles, wake up.”</p><p> </p><p>“‘M not chuckles,” he grumbled as he sat up. Rubbing his still closed eyes he sighed and stretched.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay grumpy.”</p><p> </p><p>“‘M not grumpy, either.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure.” The sleep-disturber's voice held laughter in it and he stuck his tongue out at them. They chuckled and poked his tongue in response, shocking him.</p><p> </p><p>“Ew!” He tried to grimace, that was honestly disgusting, like what the fuck, but his face twisted into a grin and he managed to peek at Kinoshita through a slitted eye.</p><p> </p><p>They grinned mischievously at him but didn’t comment further, instead they nodded over their shoulder to the mouth of the cave. “C’mon, the rain finally stopped,” they repeated.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh-kay,” he yawned again, raking a hand through his hair. It was getting too long but he kinda liked it. When studying he pulled it up into an adorable little ponytail and it made him wonder what he’d look like if he grew it out more. </p><p> </p><p>Forcing his eyes to blink open he jumped in surprise when a pair of hands came into view. Following them up he met Kinoshita’s gaze and smiled, taking their hands in his and letting himself be pulled up onto his feet. </p><p> </p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t-”</p><p> </p><p>“Worry about it, got it,” he snickered as he stretched again. His butt was beyond numb and his back ached, but he was warm and the fact that the rain stopped meant they could make their way back to the school without getting lost. </p><p> </p><p>Hopefully.</p><p> </p><p>“With the rain letting up we should be able to rejoin the class again soon.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah,” he agreed as he followed them out of the cave. The air outside felt damp and heavy, smelling of wet earth unique to after a rainstorm. A subtle yet powerful scent that was hard to describe. It was rain and earth and sky, a purely nature smell that could never be accurately recreated or imitated. He picked up on a hint of vanilla though, which confused him until he realized it was coming from the cloak he still wore. </p><p> </p><p>Cursing mentally at his cheeks as they flushed again he fell into step with Kinoshita, who seemed as if they knew where they should be going.</p><p> </p><p>"Have you been here before?" he questioned, tilting his head in curiosity as they froze and glanced back at him, an odd expression on their face. </p><p> </p><p>They were silent as they looked back at him, the expression a mix of anger and sadness. He bit into his bottom lip and debated on apologizing, telling them never mind and to forget he even asked but their face relaxed and they began walking again.</p><p> </p><p>"Yeah… I have. Last year, I was in this class." </p><p> </p><p>He shouldn't pry, it was none of his business. But he couldn't stop the words already flowing over his tongue and past his lips.</p><p> </p><p>"You're retaking it?" </p><p> </p><p>They shrugged. "Sort of but… not really? It's… it's a little complicated and honestly, I don't like how much of a coward it makes me sound." </p><p> </p><p>"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked." </p><p> </p><p>They shook their head and sent him a half smile as he walked next to them. </p><p> </p><p>"It's fine. What happened was… Well, it was a mistake. I made a decision and I regret it and now here I am. Trying to fix it somehow I guess." </p><p> </p><p>He gave them what he hoped looked like an encouraging smile. "I believe you can. Fix it, that is." </p><p> </p><p>"Heh, thanks." They bumped him with their shoulder and he chuckled. They nodded to the left and said that up ahead should be a trail that leads through the gardens behind the school. </p><p> </p><p>Sure enough, just as his feet were beginning to ache they stumbled upon a well-worn dirt path that was overgrown with weeds and grass. Following it a short way they came across a broken section of iron fencing which used to be the perimeter of the school, back when buildings were scattered and unorganized. Now they were all located near the main building where the auditorium and offices were located. </p><p> </p><p>Kinoshita stepped through it, pushing themselves into the fluffy bushes that had grown through and around the fence. The white and beige puffy spores that broke off and floated up looked like little clouds and Yamaguchi watched as they floated in the wind and stuck to everything they touched. A clump clung to a section of Kinoshita's hair and Yamaguchi held back a snort as it tugged the piece up straight as the wind blew it. They raised a brow at him but didn't ask what the odd expression on his face was about. Holding out a hand they helped him through the broken fence. </p><p> </p><p>Touching them, holding their hand, brought back the not so distant memory of what happened back in the cave and he bit his tongue hard to ward off the threatening blush. He was sure it surfaced anyway, but still, he tried. </p><p> </p><p>The path led them through a patch of the fluffy trees. He was going to have to find a book on local plants and figure out their name, it was too cute for him to not know, and he was thankful that in the distance he could see the shadowy outline of the school coming into view. </p><p> </p><p>“Hopefully, Ukai isn’t too pissed we missed his magic endurance course,” they groaned, eyes turned up to the darkening sky.</p><p> </p><p>“What!?” Glancing up himself, Yamaguchi stopped walking and ran his hands over his face, cursing at his rotten luck. “Shit! No~!”</p><p> </p><p>“What?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m so behind in that class as it is!” He dragged his hands down his face and sighed deeply, his mind racing through all the prep work he'd stayed up doing the night before for the class. All of it for nothing now. “Tsukki’s been so busy lately he hasn’t been around to help me study."</p><p> </p><p>“<em>I don’t think he gets much studying done anyway, not with Hinata anyways…</em>” they muttered, grin turning up as they shook their head.</p><p> </p><p>He choked on a snort, coughing and hacking as he laughed.</p><p> </p><p>“Pff, nice. Very cute." Their grin widened as they watched his face turn red and splotchy, nearly coughing up one of his lungs as he struggled to stop laughing and breathe.</p><p> </p><p>"Tha-Thanks?” he wheezed once he was able to suck in a breath again. Tears clung to the corners of his eyes and his chest felt as if he'd been punched but damn was that funny. Hearing someone say that was definitely worth nearly dying over.</p><p> </p><p>“Come one," they held out their hand to him again and he took it without a second thought, letting them entwine their fingers through his and gently pull him forward, "we should get going if we have any hope of making it back for dinner." </p><p> </p><p>Nodding, he bit back his smirk when their stomach growled as if it was agreeing with them. They patted it and whispered 'soon' which nearly sent him into another fit but he was able to hold back, his own stomach grumbling over the lack of food filling it. They gave his hand a squeeze, grinning back at him as the highs of their cheeks dusted a soft pink.</p><p> </p><p>As they walked on in comfortable silence, striding side by side, their hands gently swung between them. They were almost to the gardens. He could smell the heavy but inviting smell of the herbs the kitchen staff uses, when he felt them slow their steps, their hand squeezing his tightly. Slowing to match them he tilted his head to the side, eyeing them curiously. </p><p> </p><p>“This okay?” they asked almost shyly, holding up their hands between them.</p><p> </p><p>“Huh?" he asked confused and they shrugged, scratching the back of their neck and ran a thumb over his knuckles as they dropped their hands down again. He blinked at them slowly as his brain raced to catch up and he started, face instantly going beet-red as he clued in to what they were asking. </p><p> </p><p>They were basically acting like a couple and he’d just gone along with it, and now, they were asking if it was okay. He wanted to laugh, go hide forever and elbow them for their silliness. He wasn’t sure what all of it meant, but he was too hungry and tired to figure it out then. What he did know was, that no, he didn’t mind this. Whatever <em>this</em> was. </p><p> </p><p>“Uh… Y-yeah… I don't mind, do you?”</p><p> </p><p>"No. It feels nice," they spoke honestly, staring straight ahead as they rounded toward the dorm houses. They’d have to split up soon and he found that fact oddly sad. His day had started out so terribly but now he wished it would drag out just a little longer...</p><p> </p><p>"Good. Good. That's uh… Good," he snorted at his own stuttering and they chuckled as he began blushing for the millionth time in a few short hours.</p><p> </p><p>"There go your freckles, chuckles." </p><p> </p><p>"Sh-shut up!" He shoved them away without breaking their hands apart, his head falling back and eyes shutting as he belted out an ugly laugh. </p><p> </p><p>They pushed back softly and laughed with him. </p><p> </p><p>Around them the lamps began flicking on, signaling the end of the school day. He hoped they wouldn’t get into too much trouble for being so late, having basically skipped all of their classes without meaning to. </p><p> </p><p>But, even if he did, he didn’t think he minded too much. He was just glad that such a shitty day ended better than he’d expected it to.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Prompt from <a href="https://theunamazingauthor.tumblr.com/post/168975546099/100-one-word-writing-prompts"> theunamazingauthor</a> on Tumblr.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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